Detroit Lions Matthew Stafford focused on new coaches, offense

FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2013 file photo, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) passes during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Detroit. With a new coaching staff and a new system to learn, Stafford enters the 2014 season under quite a bit of pressure. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski, File)

ALLEN PARK >> While it appears that many of the Lions coaching changes were focused on improving the game of Matthew Stafford, that’s not the way the quarterback sees it.

“I think it was more about us trying to be the best team we can be, more than anything,’’ Stafford said on Thursday in his first comments this offseason.

“In this league you win games, quarterbacks get a lot of credit. You lose games you’re going to get a lot of blame and sometimes it’s right on, sometimes it’s not,’’ Stafford said. “It’s something you have to learn to take with a grain of salt and improve.’’

The Lions have completed the first four days of the offseason workout program at the practice facility with the new coaching staff.

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Jim Caldwell, who has worked extensively with Peyton Manning, was hired as coach. He brought in offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi who has spent the last five seasons as Drew Brees’ quarterbacks coach. Then Jim Bob Cooter, who has also worked with Manning, was hired as quarterbacks coach.

It’s a whole new world for Stafford who worked under the same coaching staff for his first five seasons with the Lions.

Since January he has been working on his conditioning, throwing and he watching game film from Colts and Saints games.

“Just trying to watch some old cut-ups of other teams that have played under both our coaches systems and figuring out where we want to go with it,’’ Stafford said. “It’s an exciting process. We’ll see what it looks like on Sundays.’’

Caldwell has said from Day One that he didn’t think Stafford was “broken” but he thinks he can make him better.

“He’s smart, he’s dedicated, he wants to be good,’’ Caldwell said on Thursday. “He’s quite present in his attitude today, yesterday and tomorrow. He’s a worker. I have no doubt that a guy that has that kind of attitude, obviously he has ability both physically and mentally. He has the intellect to do it, I think he’ll be fine.’’

Caldwell likes the fact that Stafford has five years in the NFL on his resume.

“An interesting thing that you’ll find particularly after they’ve been involved for a number of years, systemically you get familiarized or acquainted with a number of different concepts all across the board from protection to run checks to concepts in terms of passing, they’re all somewhat similar,’’ Caldwell said. “So really there are probably not going to be too many routes that he’s not familiar with in terms of how they’re applied. The only thing that changes is the verbage, it’s almost like learning a foreign language.’’

Stafford definitely seems upbeat and ready to move forward.

“It’s different, obviously new faces around ... It’s exciting too,’’ Stafford said. “Fresh opportunity, new coaches, everybody on our team has a clean slate. You have to go out and prove yourself to these coaches and get them to trust you as a player on the field as a person off the field. It’s exciting, more than anything just getting back to football is a lot of fun.’’

About the Author

Paula Pasche is a longtime sports writer for The Oakland Press and blogs at http://oplions.blogspot.com/. Author of book, "100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die." Follow on Tout and Twitter @paulapasche. Reach the author at paula.pasche@oakpress.com
or follow Paula on Twitter: @PaulaPasche.